Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III). Three Pleasures of Present-day Naniwa (Tōsei Naniwa no Sankō) / Ōban triptych, 1821.

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川国貞] (Japanese, 1786–1865)

Signed: 於浮瀬国貞画 – Ukabuse (ni oite) Kunisada ga, Painted at the Ukabuse by Kunisada; “Ukabuse is the name of a famous restaurant in Osaka” – see Kunisada Project.

Publisher: Iseya Rihei [伊勢屋利兵衛] (Japanese, active 1790s – c. 1879); seal: 伊勢利 (Iseri) — Marks 01-122 | 152

Censor’s Seal: 極 (kiwame)

Date: 1821 (Bunsei 4)

Media: Ōban tate-e (vertical ōban), woodblock print (nishiki-e), 387 × 257 mm

Title: Three Pleasures of Present-day Naniwa (当世 浪花 三興, Tōsei Naniwa no sankō) [Naniwa = Osaka]

Ref: [LIB-2967.2022] Sebastian Izzard. Utagawa Kunisada: His world revisited / Catalogue 17. — NY: Sebastian Izzard, LLC., 2021; pp. 18-9. [LIB-1212.2017] Robert Schaap. Kunisada: Imaging, drama and beauty. — Leiden: Hotei Publishing, 2016; p. 12.

MFA Boston: Accession Number 11.21936; 11.21937; 11.21938. 

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Left sheet:
Actor: Nakamura Utaemon III [三代目 中村歌右衛門] (a.k.a. Nakamura Shikan I, Japanese, 1778–1838)
Role: Danshichi no Mohei [団七の茂兵衛]

The geisha of the Shimanouchi district (Shimanouchi, 島之内) is shown reading a book. Her grey kimono is decorated with multicolored yellow, green, red, and blue plovers and white cherry blossom crests on the sleeves. Her obi bears a stylized rinbō (輪宝) wheel motif, a sacred Buddhist symbol, while the collar is patterned with blue wave designs. She wears red undergarments beneath the layered robes. Her hair is styled in a formal shimada coiffure, adorned with a gilt comb and hairpins. An inkstone and sheets of paper rest on her lap.
The actor Nakamura Utaemon III is depicted in the fan-shaped cartouche at upper right in the role of Danshichi no Mohei. He clenches the hilt of his sword and looks out with a stern expression.

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Center sheet:
Actor: Bandō Mitsugorō III [三代目 坂東三津五郎] (Japanese, 1775–1831)
Role: Fujiya Izaemon [藤屋 伊左衛門]

A high-ranking courtesan (tayū, 太夫) is shown seated beside a red lacquered stand, holding a red sake cup in her right hand. Her robes are layered in the formal tayū style: the outer robe features paulownia leaves and flowers (桐, kiri), phoenixes, and arabesque scrolls (唐草, karakusa). Beneath it is a blue kimono with cloud and clover motifs. Her red obi is decorated with large roundels containing triple tomoe. The visible undergarments include pale blue and pink linings, while the short over-vest is patterned with yellow pine branches.
Her hair is styled in the elaborate hyōgo-mage (兵庫髷) coiffure, distinguished by its wide side loops and structural supports. It is adorned with long gilt hairpins and blue kanzashi (簪) resembling wisteria blossoms — a visual indicator of her elevated status in the pleasure quarters.
The actor Bandō Mitsugorō III is shown in the fan-shaped cartouche at upper right, portraying Fujiya Izaemon. He wears a black kimono with calligraphic designs and gazes with a stern expression.

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Right sheet:
Actor: Iwai Hanshirō V [五代目 岩井半四郎] (Japanese, 1776–1847)
Role: Katanaya Hanshichi [刀屋 半七]

A geisha (geiko, 芸子)* is seated on the floor, holding a roll of paper and an inkstone in her right hand. Next to her lies a large parcel wrapped in a blue furoshiki cloth, marked with a white chanomi (茶の実, tea berry) emblem and tied with a yellow cord. Her outer robe is a mauve-striped kimono decorated with red ume (梅, plum) blossoms. Her wide obi displays a pattern of stylized green and black hexagonal tiles, interspersed with red roundels filled with gilt celestial cloud motifs (雲, kumo). The inner robe features an iris (菖蒲, shōbu) design on a blue ground.
She wears a blue-and-white geometric collar and a red underlayer. Her hair is styled in the formal shimada coiffure, adorned with a gilt comb, long decorative hairpins, and cascading kanzashi in the form of wisteria blossoms.
The actor Iwai Hanshirō V is portrayed in the fan-shaped cartouche at upper left, playing Katanaya Hanshichi. He wears a robe decorated with folding fans and chrysanthemums and gazes with a reserved expression.

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*) Note: The term geiko (芸子) is a regional variation of geisha (芸者), used specifically in Kyoto and occasionally in Osaka. While both refer to professional entertainers trained in music, dance, and conversation, the Kyoto/Osaka usage reflects local dialect and cultural nuance.

Nakamura Utaemon III	Bandō Mitsugorō III	Iwai Hanshirō V

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